


Déjà Vu

by ConceptaDecency



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Cardassian Culture, Domestic, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Cardassia, Star Trek: Just in Time Fest, Timefest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27591748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConceptaDecency/pseuds/ConceptaDecency
Summary: Julian, newly arrived on Cardassia, meets a friendly neighbour. But there's something familiar about the man's behaviour.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Comments: 44
Kudos: 134
Collections: Star Trek: Just in Time Fest





	Déjà Vu

**Author's Note:**

> As an organiser for Just in Time Fest, I'm delighted with how people are interpreting the theme! Thanks to all who are participating, and to those who are considering it, there’s still time!

“New to Cardassia, are you?”

“Er. No. I mean, yes. No. Sort of, yes.” The man, who’d arrived at the tram stop a minute or two after Julian, had taken Julian by surprise with his question. Garak had said the people of Cardassia City tended not to chat casually with strangers. Were famous for being cold and unfriendly, in fact, and preferred to keep to themselves and pretend other people didn’t exist. But this man was staring at Julian intently, head cocked, as if Julian were the most fascinating thing he’d seen all week. Julian swallowed. “I’ve stopped over briefly before, and visited some of the colonies, but this is my first long-term visit. Is it obvious?” Of course it was obvious he wasn’t from Cardassia, but had he done something wrong to prompt the man’s observation? 

The man smiled pleasantly. He was broad-shouldered and handsome, about the same height as Julian, and, if Julian was any judge of Cardassian ages (he wasn’t, particularly) about the same age, too. “It is a little obvious, I’m afraid, Mister…?”

“Doctor, actually. Doctor Bashir,” said Julian. He nodded politely, remembering just in time that, on their own world, Cardassians neither shook hands nor offered their given names when meeting strangers.

“Ah! A medical man! I’m very pleased to meet you, Doctor. My name is Merro. You’re on your way to Central Hospital, I suppose?”

“Er. Yes,” said Julian, wondering just how uneasy he should be about revealing personal information to strangers. It wasn’t something he’d normally had to worry about in his life, but Garak still had enemies who would occasionally pop up at the most unexpected times. Still, Merro was smiling and jovial. He seemed friendly enough. 

“How wonderful! We’re so grateful that off-worlders like yourself would interrupt your lives to help us in our time of need.” Merro clapped Julian on the shoulder. “It’s a noble sacrifice. I’m sure your wife and children must miss you terribly. Or are they here on Cardassia with you?”

“I, er, don’t have children. Or a wife,” Julian said, and Merro’s hand on his shoulder twitched a bit. Julian wondered what the reaction might have been if he’d said he had a wife and three children left behind on Earth.

“Oh, so you are alone!” Merro made a face of utmost distress and, to Julian’s relief, removed his hand to clasp it with the other in a show of deep sympathy.

“Uh. Well, I have many friends.” _Should_ he mention Garak? No, perhaps not. He still hadn’t got a handle on precisely how closely to keep their private lives private in this new environment, so it was better to err on the side of caution. 

“Of course you do, a charming person like you. And I’m sure they miss you terribly.”

“I’m sure they’re getting along fine without me,” said Julian, uncomfortable not with the flattery itself, exactly, but certainly with the tenor of it. 

“How stoic of you to say so.” 

“Thank you.”

There was the ghost of an awkward pause, but Merro was quick to jump in. 

“Now, Doctor Bashir. I have to admit I made an educated guess about you. The reason I said it was obvious that you’re a newcomer to our planet is that I noticed you keep checking the timetable. Rest assured, this is the correct stop. You just need to take the 32, and transfer to the 16 at Corat Damar Plaza, then stay on that for maybe another ten minutes. Or you can walk from the plaza along the canal. It’s very pleasant and a little faster.”

“Thank you very much, Mr Merro,” said Julian. He already knew how to get to Central Hospital. Garak had made sure of it, and in any case, he’d checked again himself this morning before leaving the house. He absolutely did not want to be late, or worse, get totally lost, on his first day at his new job. 

“It’s just Merro, Doctor. Plain, simple Merro.” Merro inclined his head (mock?) deferentially. “I can show you the way, if you like? It’s no trouble, I assure you.” 

“That’s very kind of you, Merro.” Julian didn’t _think_ he needed help. A trained and experienced former Starfleet officer could surely navigate Cardassian public transport unaided. But he wasn’t entirely sure how he’d be able to refuse Merro, if they were indeed going the same way. “Thank you. I hope I’m not putting you out.”

“Not at all, Doctor! I’m going that way myself, actually. I happen to own a small cafe just opposite Central Hospital. In fact, if you get a chance, why not stop by on your lunch break?” 

“That’s very kind,” said Julian, again. He hoped he wasn’t offending the man by turning him down. “I would love to, but I don’t know if I’ll have time today. It’s my first day, and…”

A flicker of _something_ passed over Merro’s face, so fast that Julian wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined it, but then Merro just smiled, seemingly unperturbed. “Of course! I completely understand. No doubt your new colleagues will be monopolising your time today, as is only right. But if you get a chance in the coming weeks, I do hope you’ll stop in. You’re probably not used to Cardassian cuisine yet, but I’m sure I can find something to tempt the human palate. You _are_ human, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am,” said Julian, though he did briefly consider denying it. “Though actually I’m quite familiar with Cardassian cuisine. I lived on a Cardassian space station for a while and got a taste for it.” As soon as he’d said it Julian threw out mental apologies to Kira and Jabara and Leeta and all the other Bajorans he knew for misidentifying Deep Space Nine, but because he knew his weaknesses (he was wont to provide far too much information) he hadn’t felt it prudent to go into too much detail. 

He was going to have to work on his abridged backstory.

Merro’s eyes widened in delight. “You don’t say! I knew you were a man of culture! And so open-minded! A human who lived on a Cardassian space station, my goodness. Doctor Bashir, I think you and I are going to be great friends.” A beat, and Merro’s hand was once again heavy on Julian’s shoulder. Squeezing and pulling him closer. “You know,” he said, dropping his voice, “I live only a few minutes’ walk from here. If, perhaps, this evening, once you’ve finished your shift, you’d like a bit of enjoyable company before you go home to bed, why don’t you drop by?”

“Oh.” Oh. Of course. Going forward, the abridged backstory was definitely, _definitely_ going to have to include his reason for coming to Cardassia in the first place, it seemed. How had Julian not seen where this was leading from the beginning? It wasn’t as if he’d never been hit on by a Cardassian before. “Well, Merro, actually I have someone waiting for me at home, and-”

Merro’s mouth dropped open as his eyeridges shot up, and he yanked his hand back as if Julian’s shoulder had turned to white-hot eustronium. Julian felt bad; he’d meant to let the man down gently, but sometimes Cardassian manners still eluded him. Had his words really been that shocking? 

A familiar touch to the small of his back told him no. No, it hadn’t been his words.

“Julian. You left your lunch on the kitchen table.” Garak’s voice sounded fondly chiding and perhaps a little concerned. Only another Cardassian, or someone very familiar with Cardassians (or with this specific Cardassian), would have been able to detect the simmering territorial anger lurking beneath. The gentle hand on Julian’s back slid around to fall loosely on his hip in just the sort of handsy intimate gesture Garak claimed to disapprove of, at least in public. “That slice of larish pie has to be eaten today or it’ll go off. I’d hate for your first attempt at Cardassian cooking to go to waste.” Garak slipped a small insulated bag into Julian’s hands, caressing Julian’s fingers as he did so.

“Thank you,” said Julian. He was one half pleased that Garak had shown up in time to relieve him of the awkwardness -- or worse -- of explaining to Merro that no, thanks for the flattering offer, but he would not be seeking enjoyable company any time soon, but he was also one half concerned about whatever subtle non-verbal signal Garak had sent to Merro that had frightened him so. “I guess I was distracted this morning. Sorry you had to run after me.”

“That’s quite alright, my dear. I’m only glad I noticed and was able to bring it to you before you got on the tram. I was afraid I would be too late.” He made an exaggerated moue of concern. “Are you certain you’ll have no trouble getting to work? You remember the way?” 

“I think I can manage it, love.” Of course Julian remembered the way. As Garak was well aware. The question was purely for Merro’s benefit. How long had Garak been listening before he’d made his presence known? “Our neighbour Mr Merro is going the same way and offered to make sure I don’t get lost, though.”

“Oh?” Garak turned his face to Merro for the first time and blinked, cool and icy. “How very kind of you, Mr Merro. I do worry about my fiance, new to the planet as he is. Julian assures me he can take care of himself, but unscrupulous people could very well try to take advantage of an off-worlder’s ignorance of our customs and norms.” 

Merro, who’d been awkwardly glancing about and transferring his weight from left foot to right and back for their entire intimate exchange, flinched. 

“It’s the oddest thing, Doctor Bashir,” he said, his voice wavering slightly. “I’ve just realised I’ve forgotten something at home, too. I’m very, very sorry, but I must go retrieve it. I wish you the best of luck at your new job…” Merro’s voice drained away as Garak glared at him, and he swiftly left the tram platform, nearly tripping over the kerb in his effort to get away as fast as he could.

“Elim, what the hell did you do to him?” Julian laughed. “I mean, thanks for the help, but you didn’t have to frighten him that badly!”

Garak removed his arm from Julian’s waist, brushing the indiscernible wrinkles from Julian’s jacket as he did so. “I was simply presenting him with some information he was lacking, Julian. Helping him to make informed decisions for his future.”

“How very kind of you.”

“Yes, it was. Thank you. You know, it occurs to me that it might serve you well to mention you’re attached sooner in the conversation when meeting that sort of man.”

“Noted. I’d come to that conclusion myself.”

Garak nodded. “Good.”

“I do have a few questions for you about Cardassian pick-up lines, though. Is there some sort of official guide for hitting on off-worlders? Because I was having the strongest sense of deja vu. I'm sure I've seen some of those moves before.”

“As if the government would sanction such a deplorable publication.” Garak had turned his attention to Julian’s collar and was adjusting it. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, this is your tram. You’d better hurry. Good luck, my dear. I look forward to hearing all about your day when you get home.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> And then Garak patted him on the arse and sent him on his way. (And Merro avoided them both; if that made him late for work sometimes because he had to wait for the next tram, oh well, that's his problem.)
> 
> Ding ding! Yes, this is the right stop for comments and kudos!


End file.
